One of Those Days
by Tsaiko
Summary: A shounen-ai fic where Chichiri finds out that his relationship with Tasuki is not what he thought it was.
1. One of Those Days

One of Those Days by Tsaiko and Miome

Ever Had One Of _Those_ Days

> 

First the disclaimer thing. The characters of Fushigi Yuugi are not mine. They belong to Watase Yuu, and various other companies. Story not written for profit.   


The story and idea that started it all. Yaoi themes. 

It was such a normal day. It wasn't insanely bright and cheerful, or dark and gloomy. It didn't match or contrast with anyone's mood, convey a deep meaning, or make a statement about world peace; it just existed in a non-Zen, non-existentialist, and basically ... well, *normal* way. 

Life is so not fair that way. 

* * * * * 

Chichiri walked ahead of his companion, and resisted the urge to turn back and look at him. Something had obviously been nagging Tasuki since they broke camp this morning; but from experience, Chichiri knew it was useless, even foolhardy to bring it up before Tasuki was ready. So, he kept his eyes forward and his pace steady. 

It was irritating, though; the normally over-enthusiastic Tasuki was abnormally quiet, and he kept _fidgeting_. Chichiri didn't even know you _could_ walk and fidget at the same time. But every few minutes he would check his tessen, resettling it in it's holder. Then he'd pull his collar, or pick at a loose thread on his sleeve. Then he'd stare at Chichiri's back for a while, opening and closing his mouth like he wanted to say something, but didn't know how. Not that that had ever stopped him before .... 

Chichiri pulled back the thought. He shouldn't get angry over this. It was obvious Tasuki needed someone to talk to, and it had to be important to him, otherwise he would just blurt it out in his usual manner. That being, with all the grace of a pregnant elephant in a china shop. 

"Chichiri?" 

_Finally!_ exulted the monk, although his masked expression revealed nothing. "Hai, Tasuki-kun no da?" 

"Ummm ... nuthin'. Never mind." 

If Chichiri hadn't spent three years with a half-crazed, extremely powerful old ghoul and about fifty annoying not-really-little-girls, he might have started screaming then and there. But his time on Mt. Taikyoku had taught him nothing if not patience. That, and a high tolerance for extremely ugly women. Or not-women. Whatever. 

The conversation repeated itself three times before Chichiri's well of patience was all dried up. The sun was directly over head, when Chichiri suddenly stopped, turned, and faced Tasuki. Luckily Tasuki looked up at the last minute, and avoided slamming right into the mage. 

"Oi, what's up?" 

"Tasuki, we're not taking another step until you say what's on your mind no da." 

Tasuki gaped at him for a minute, then looked everywhere but at him. The bandit scratched the back of his head nervously, and Chichiri had to seriously rein in the urge to reach out and give him a good shaking. _Just let him say it. Please gods, just let him say it._

"Ummm.... well... I..." 

"SAY IT, NO DA!" 

"It's about you and Hikou." 

Chichiri felt like he had been blindsided by a flying nyan-nyan. Of all the things that he had expected the bandit to say, _that_ was no where on the list. It wasn't even close to being there. 

"Okay, no da. What about me and Hikou na no da?" Chichiri said trying to keep the apprehension out of his voice. And failing. Tasuki heard it anyway, and once again tried to back out of the situation. 

"No. It's nuthin'. Really," Tasuki said. Chichiri actually considered letting the subject drop. Then he thought about making the rest of the trip with a fidgeting Tasuki. Better to hear it now, then wonder about it all day. 

"Look, Tasuki-kun. If you go on and tell me about it now, then you won't have to worry about it, no da. It will make you feel better, no da." _ And it will stop you from driving me insane._ Tasuki looked doubtful. 

"Have you ever considered that maybe the reason Hikou went after your fiancee was not because he liked her, but because he liked you?" Tasuki said as quickly as he could without tripping over his words. For the first time since the conversation started, the bandit looked Chichiri in the face. Chichiri stared at him for a few minutes in incomprehension. 

"Well, I know he thought that she was going to interfere with our friendship, no da. That I wouldn't have as much time to spend with him... but that's not what you're talking about, Tasuki-kun, is it?" Chichiri said unsure of what the bandit was trying to say. He really wished that Tasuki would just come out and say it. 

Tasuki, on the other hand, was trying to figure out if Chichiri was truly that naive. It wasn't like the monk hadn't played with his mind before, but he didn't think the other seishi would do that on this subject. Which left him with the difficult task of trying to explain what he meant. Without getting chi blasted. 

"Well, sometimes friends feel differently about each other ... one might mistake friendship for something else." 

"Such as, no da?" 

"Love?" 

"I loved Hikou!" Chichiri protested. Tasuki stared at him, then shook his head. 

"Not that kind of love." _I'm pretty sure, at least._ Tasuki sighed in defeat at Chichiri's still confused expression. "The kind of love you felt for your fiance, was the kind of love Hikou felt for you. The `I-wanna-fuck-you' kind of love," he added, just for clarity. 

Chichiri had only been that shocked one other time in his life - and that had been at the sight of Hikou kissing his fiance. He felt as if he had been punched in the gut. Tasuki quickly moved forward to keep him upright as Chichiri sagged forward, gasping for breath. 

"How ..." the monk managed to rasp out. "How can you think that?" 

"Well, Hikou could have been happy with your fiancee wherever they went after they died." At this remark, Chichiri gave the bandit a very dangerous look and Tasuki quickly continued. "Instead, he came back. _For you._ That should tell you something." 

It did tell Chichiri something. Something, he hadn't wanted to know about his best friend, and wasn't sure if he was ready to face. It made sense in a way that seemed frighteningly right, like the click of the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle, settling into place. And the picture it formed ... was more than he could deal with. He took a deep, purging breath, willing his heart to slow, the nervous tremors to cease. 

"I'm not going to think about this, I don't _want_ to think about this. Not now." 

"What happened to your `no da's?" 

"_No da!!_" Chichiri screamed, before he got a hold of himself. He reached back and tugged his kasa forward, shadowing his face. He turned to go, then paused, turning back. "Why did you think of this, no da? I mean ... why did it occur to you?" 

Tasuki looked at him a moment, with an expression that, had Miaka been there, she would have described as like `a deer caught in headlights'. Then pink stained his cheekbones, and he found an interesting tree to stare at. "Nuthin'," he muttered, "ain't %*^% nuthin'." 

Chichiri had no reply to that. He carefully turned back around and continued down the road. 

  
Tsaiko: It's done, it's done!! They said it couldn't be done, but we proved them wrong!   
Miome: And this is a good thing?   
Tsaiko: We haven't actually set them up, but we're getting there ...   
Miome: And that is a good thing?   
Tsaiko: Well, it's good for Tasuki.   
Miome: _What_ are you planning to do to my poor Hou-chan?! Dangit, if he's gonna be involved, he better get just as much out of it as Tasuki!   
Tsaiko: Ummm ... sure. I'll make sure of it.   
Miome: Thanks. I think.   
  


**One of Those Days**  
By [ Tsaiko][1]   
_© 1998, Tsaiko_  


   [1]: mailto:tsaiko1@hotmail.com



	2. One of Those Nights

One of Those Nights by Tsaiko and Miome

One of Those Days 2: One of Those Nights

First the disclaimer thing. The characters of Fushigi Yuugi are not mine. They belong to Watase Yuu, and various other companies. Story not written for profit.   


That night, continuing on a theme. Implied yaoi. 

"It was Kouji, wasn't it no da?" 

"Huh?" said Tasuki blearily, pulling his mind from the edge of sleep. The supernaturally normal day had taken a sudden turn for the worse, presenting them with one of those summer squalls that blows up out of nowhere, knocks you off your feet, and rains on your parade. And what a parade it had been. 

Tasuki had been especially unfond of the ending, which involved their hurried arrival at a crowded inn, with _one_ available room. Chichiri hadn't said anything, but Tasuki knew from the look on his face he was seriously considering finding shelter elsewhere. Given the earlier topic of conversation, Tasuki could understand why, if not exactly sympathize. 

"It was Kouji, right no da?" 

"#%$^-ing _what_ was Kouji?" said Tasuki, with some irritation. All he wanted to do was sleep. A long walk on a dusty, hot day followed by a cold dousing, was not his idea of a fun day. 

"You know ... the one that made you think of _that_ particular scenario, no da." 

"What @#&^%-ing scenario?" 

Chichiri glanced over at the shadow that was Tasuki, wondering if he was playing with him, or he really didn't understand. In the darkness of the room it was easier to say; not having to see Tasuki's face, not having to hide his own reactions. It was a strange combination of intimacy and distance, feeling easier with the other seishi, closer to him, but with the reassurance of distance and anonymity. 

"The one that you suggested about ... the one about friends who misunderstand a friendship." 

Tasuki blinked a few times. He was pretty sure that wasn't the way he had put it. _Hmph. Too bad I didn't think of putting it that way. Guess that's why he's the monk and I'm not._ "Huh? What would Kouji have to do with friends that ... oh. No, no, not him. Really #$%#%-ing not him." 

"Well you acted as if you'd been in that situation before no daa ..." 

Tasuki's voice was flat and emotionless. "I have." 

"If not Kouji, then who no da?" 

"You, Chichiri." 

"_NANI???_" Chichiri almost shrieked, bolting upright in bed. There was a moment of absolute silence before he heard a dry chuckle. 

"It was a joke, Chichiri. Go to sleep." 

"Not funny, Tasuki-kun! Not funny at all!" Chichiri could almost see the bandit's smirk as he rolled over. He stayed upright for a few more minutes, listening to the small sounds Tasuki made in the dark, listening to hear if he'd say anything else. When he didn't, the monk lay back down, pulling up the coverlet. 

Hours later Chichiri still lay there in the dark listening to the even sound of Tasuki's breathing. 

The other seishi had long ago fallen asleep after their conversation, but the monk still lay there too worked up to rest. He was trying desperately not to think about what Tasuki had said. 

It was impossible. 

Despite all his efforts not to, Chichiri kept replaying memories over and over in his mind. Memories of Hikou, of growing up together, of laughter, of tears, of being best friends. Except to Hikou it was more than just friendship. 

He should have known. Why hadn't he known something was wrong with his friend? Had he been that self-centered? It wasn't as if there weren't any signs. 

Looking back, Chichiri could remember little things that he should have noticed. The way Hikou would let his hand rest on his shoulder for a few seconds longer than was necessary. How quick Hikou was to smile and laugh, but only for him. The way Hikou was constantly watching him when he thought Chichiri wasn't looking. The desperate pain/hunger that he would see in his friend's eyes whenever Chichiri was with his fiancee or another one of his friends. 

He had known there was something wrong, but whenever he confronted Hikou about it, his friend had played it off. Or changed the subject. Or made excuses. And Chichiri had accepted them, because he hadn't wanted to acknowledge the truth. The thought of his best friend liking him that way had scared him. It still did. 

And it was happening again. 

For a full minute Chichiri lay there frozen, hardly daring to breathe for fear that Tasuki would somehow hear that thought. There was only that thought; the rest refused to come. Finally his muscles started to quiver from strain, and Chichiri began to do a relaxation exercise to calm down. 

With the familiar rhythms of the exercise came the ability to think. It was happening again. Only this time it was with Tasuki. Carefully, Chichiri went back over everything that had happened with him and the bandit. 

Some of the signs were there. The way Tasuki watched him sometimes for no apparent reasons. The way he was quick to pat him on the back. Of course, Tasuki was like that with everyone. Then there was earlier tonight when he had joked about thinking about Chichiri that way. There was something in his voice that made him think that Tasuki really wasn't joking. 

This was crazy. What if he was wrong, and Tasuki really saw him as nothing more than a friend? But that was what he had thought last time. He had been wrong, and his best friend and fiancee had paid the price. He couldn't go through that again. He couldn't lose anyone else. Not like that. Not again. 

But where did that leave him? Chichiri had no idea how to react to the fact that his friend may like him as more than a friend. Especially since that friend was guy. How was he suppose to react to that? What was he suppose to do? 

One thing he was sure of, he had to know how Tasuki really felt. Even if he made a fool of himself asking it he had to know. Chichiri turned, and wrestled with his thoughts for a few more minutes before sleep finally claimed him. 

Tsaiko: There we go. The second part is done, YEAH!   
Miome: (whimpers) I can't believe we wrote that.   
Tsaiko: I know. Isn't it cool?   
Miome: Something like that. Like maybe cold. As an iceberg. At the Antarctic. In mid-winter.   
Tsaiko: And just think, we're not done yet!   
Miome: We're not!?   
Tsaiko:(evil laughter) Just when you thought the insanity was over...   
  
After this part, Miome no longer works on the story. Please don't email her. Instead contact [Tsaiko][1] with your comments and praise. Flames will provide hours of amusement to me and my friends before they are deleted. So don't send them.   
  


**One of Those Nights**  
By [ Tsaiko][1]   
_© 1998, Tsaiko_  


   [1]: mailto:tsaiko1@hotmail.com



	3. One of Those Moments

One of Those Moments by Tsaiko

One of Those Days 3: One of Those Moments

First the disclaimer thing. The characters of Fushigi Yuugi are not mine. They belong to Watase Yuu, and various other companies. Story not written for profit.   


The rest of the story is written by me, Tsaiko. Miome was there with ideas and support. Shounen-ai warning. 

Have you ever noticed that it always seems to rain whenever you plan to be outside? It's like there's a great cosmic rule that states "When clouds see someone preparing to do something fun outside, they must dump rain right on those people's heads." And the amount/temperature the of precipitation that falls will always be directly proportional to the amount of time that it took to plan the event. Or in some cases, how far the people in question are from shelter. So states Murphy's Law of Weather. 

It seems that Murphy's Law is applicable every where, including Four Gods Sky and Earth. Never mind that there's a dragon god who you would think could control such things. It seems that there are some rules even the gods must follow. And anyways, Seiryuu seems like the type of god who would enjoy ruining certain people's days. Just call it a hunch. 

High on that list of people that Seiryuu would most enjoy annoying, drenching, and just plain pissing off, are Suzaku seishi. And the great dragon god was doing all three when a very violent thunderstorm curtailed Chichiri's and Tasuki's annual trip to the palace at Konen-koku. 

Of course, the two were already late. Normally, they would have gone sometime during the summer when it was warm. And dry. But due to certain, ahem, revelations the trip had gotten postponed to last possible minute in early winter. With this in mind, the two tried to continue on to the palace despite the freezing rain. However, when the road they were following became nothing more than a river of half frozen mud, they decided to put off the trip for the year until the weather became a little less soggy. 

Needless to say, neither the monk nor the bandit was happy about having to take shelter in an old house that probably hadn't been lived in since the first dynasty. Tasuki because he was wet, cold, hungry, and just plain ornery. Chichiri, on the other hand, had a distinctly different reason for not wanting to be alone with the fire haired bandit. 

It had been three months. Three months since Tasuki had brought up the conversation about Hikou. Three months since he had come to the conclusion that his friend, and fellow seishi, might not see him as just a "friend." Three months of doing everything humanly (and occasionally magically) possible to make sure they were not alone together so that he would not have to find out if what he suspected was true or not. 

Chichiri knew it was cowardly to keep running from the problem. He didn't care. And the rational part of his mind knew that he was going to have to face this problem some day, that ignoring it would not make it go away. The irrational part of his mind was still hoping to put the discussion Chichiri knew he was going to have to have with Tasuki off as long as possible. Preferably, sometime after he died. 

"This place is a mess, ne Chichiri? I can't believe that it started raining that hard, or that the weather turned so cold that quickly. I mean it's only... well @#$%, it is late enough in the year for it to be winter. I wonder if we'll get any snow? Time sure does fly when you're having fun," Tasuki said as he set about gathering enough wood to start a fire. Chichiri just looked over at the bandit, and refused to comment. 

While Tasuki set about doing his share of the work to make the old house livable, he kept up the one sided conversation with himself. He had grown use to hearing his own voice because Chichiri rarely spoke to him anymore. The bandit filled the silence with his talk so he wouldn't have to acknowledge the fact that his friend was slowly withdrawing from him. There were times when he could be downright dense, but he wasn't stupid. He knew that he was losing his best friend, but he didn't know why. Or how to stop it. 

Dinner was a tense, cold thing of trail rations and one sided conversation. Chichiri couldn't help but withdrwl, having no idea how to deal with what was before him. It was easier to just let the friendship seem to fall apart for other reasons rather than the ones he thought were there. Finally, the two Suzaku seishi fell asleep, never guessing at what would happen the next day. 

"I can't believe it snowed!" Tasuki said as he bounded out of the old house into the white drifts. They had just gotten up and opened the door to discover the rare white stuff had coated the ground. Chichiri watched as the bandit flopped down in the wet snow like a over grown child. Huge flakes stuck to his clothes and hair, and soon the bandit proceeded to roll around in the small drifts. Then he looked up at Chichiri with serious amber eyes. 

"Aren't ya going come over here and play?" Tasuki looked disappointed as the monk shook his head no. Chichiri almost relented, when the bandit's disappointment turned to hurt. The bandit huffed a little, and then shrugged his shoulders, trying to play off the hurt he felt at Chichiri's rejection. 

Chichiri knew it seemed like he was avoiding the bandit, which he was, but it wasn't because he didn't want to be with Tasuki anymore. The bandit was the only person who understood what it was to be a Suzaku seishi, the only person who had gone through the same things he had. In fact, it wasn't even like Tasuki was acting any different than before. He was the one who was destroying their friendship. 

Feeling vaguely ashamed at his behavior, Chichiri turned to go back inside the old house. Maybe if he couldn't accept Tasuki for who he was, maybe he didn't deserve to call the bandit friend. With that depressing thought, the monk opened the door. 

And was smacked right in the back of the head with a cold, wet snowball. He stumbled forward into the cabin, his balance upset by the impact. The heat from the cabin partially melted the snowball, and cold slush slid slowly down the back of his neck and into his shirt. Chichiri stepped back out of the cabin, and turned to face Tasuki. 

"What?" Tasuki asked innocently. Chichiri said nothing, simply walked forward, gathered up a double hand full of snow, and fashioned it into a rough snowball. The bandit cringed as he straightened up, expecting to hit at any moment. The monk looked at the snowball, up at Tasuki, then back at the snowball. Then he turned back toward the cabin to go inside. 

Or at least it appeared that way to Tasuki. In reality, Chichiri was melting the snowball a little between his hands, then exposing it to the cold air. That caused the snowball to refreeze, making it harder and easier to aim with. Then he whirled around and took aim. 

The red headed seishi was turned sideways when a cold, hard snowball sent him sprawling into the snow. He looked up, shocked, to see Chichiri gathering more snow for another snowball. With a fanged grin, Tasuki soon followed suit. 

What followed was a massive snowball fight. It had gone on for about an hour, until both participants were so cold they were shivering, and still it continued. Sometime during the fight an errant snowball had knocked the monk's mask off into one of the drifts where it disappeared. Finally, in a desperate attempt to stop the fight, Chichiri tackled Tasuki to the ground. 

The two rolled in the snow a couple of times, until both were covered in slowly melting flakes. Finally, Chichiri was stretched above Tasuki, his wrists pinning the other seishi's to the ground. The strands of the monk's hair were plastered to his face by the melted snow, and he absently wished that he had a free hand to get them out of his face. He couldn't understand how he had managed to pin the bandit considering Tasuki was much stronger than he was. Why would his friend let him do that? 

Chichiri looked down, meeting Tasuki's golden eyes with his own. And froze. They both stared at each other, in the snow, neither aware of the passage of time. Both were breathing heavily from exerting themselves in the snowball fight, and their breaths formed twin plumes in the cold air. As they looked at each other, Chichiri had the insane impulse to lean down and... and... kiss... 

Abruptly, Chichiri let go of Tasuki and threw himself back into the snow. The bandit slowly sat up as the monk watched him, wild eyed, shivering more from the shock of his own thoughts than from the cold. There was a question in those amber eyes, but Chichiri couldn't tell what it was asking. 

"Gomen, Tasuki-kun. I didn't... gomen nasai. I don't know... I... daa!" The last was said as Chichiri leapt to his feet, and raced back into the old house. Tasuki sat there in the snow a little while longer, thinking, until the cold became too much to bear. Then he got to his feet, found Chichiri's mask among the drifts, and entered the house. 

DA!! It's done. Actually, this has been done for some time and I'm only finally getting around to putting it up. Last semester was NOT a fun semester. I'm just beginning to get to my backlog of stuff to do. No conversation at the end of this thing, because I did most of the writing this time (while on cold medicine I might add). Enjoy!   
  


**One of Those Days**  
By [ Tsaiko][1]   
_© 1999, Tsaiko_  


   [1]: mailto:tsaiko1@hotmail.com



	4. One of Those Things

One of Those Things by Tsaiko

One of Those Days 4: One of Those Things

First the disclaimer thing. The characters of Fushigi Yuugi are not mine. They belong to Watase Yuu, and various other companies. Story not written for profit.   


After the snowball fight. Lime warning (as in something happens between the two). 

Tasuki paced restlessly around the confines of the old house, working off the excess energy being cooped up always made him have. Chichiri sat in the corner by the fire in meditation. Or at least supposed meditation. The bandit had a feeling that the monk was doing it simply to avoid him. Considering that his friend had been doing just that for the past three months, it shouldn't have surprised or hurt him. 

But it did. Much more than it should. 

He didn't understand. No, that wasn't really true. He did understand what had started the whole thing, could in fact trace it back to one event. The Conversation. The one where he had brought up the fact that Chichiri's friend Hikou might have been in love with him. 

Tasuki made another trip around the room before leaning up against a wall near the fire. And consequently, near Chichiri. If the monk noticed, he gave no sign that Tasuki could see. The bandit snorted in disgust, but refused to move away from the warmth of the fire. Instead he simply returned to his thoughts. 

If he had been smart, he would have just kept his mouth shut. It was just that once he had put all the facts together, the realization would _not_ leave him alone, and he could not help thinking about it. Then Chichiri had had to push until somehow, Tasuki found himself confiding exactly what he was thinking. 

That absolute look of shock/horror/pain that had come across Chichiri's face when he finally realized what Tasuki was talking about... that alone was enough for him to realize he had been better off with his mouth shut. He looked down at the monk, the eternal smile of the mask plastered across his face as he sat in a bubble of perfect concentration and silence. Tasuki had never meant to hurt his friend like that. 

And boy had he ever stepped in it when he had joked about liking Chichiri in that way as well. The only excuse he had was that he was both physically and mentally drained from the day. Or just not thinking. Maybe a little bit of both. Whatever it was, it had driven a wall between the two friends, despite both their attempts to stop it. 

Tasuki shifted his gaze from the blue haired seishi to the dancing flames of the fire. If he was going to be honest with himself, he would admit that he had thought about Chichiri in that way. But only once, and it was only a passing, idle thought born of curiosity. He had never thought to act on it though, knowing that the monk would never return the feelings and valuing their friendship too much to push it. 

Now that was extremely ironic, considering that their friendship was falling apart before his eyes. Tasuki smiled mockingly at himself, and crossed his arms. He had repressed his thoughts about the monk in much the same way he had repressed his feelings for Miaka after breaking free of Hikou's spell. It would hurt his friends for him to have those kind of thoughts and feelings. So he made sure he didn't have them. 

Then there was the incident three days ago. When the snowball fight had first started, Tasuki had thought that maybe his friendship with Chichiri could be saved. As they rolled in the snow Chichiri had pinned him, and stared at him for the longest time with the strangest look on his face. Tasuki had thought about that for a long time, but still didn't know what had caused the monk to freak so bad. He had his suspicions, but they couldn't be right. Which meant he was going to have to find out another way. By confronting Chichiri. 

"Chichiri we need to talk," Tasuki stated as he glanced down at the monk. There was no reaction on the smiling mask, though the bandit was sure the Chichiri had heard him. "I don't know what's wrong, but whatever the problem is, it's not going to go away if we ignore it." Silence. "I can't fix what's wrong if you won't talk about it." Not even a twitch. "Chichiri, _stop fucking ignoring me!_" Nothing. 

Tasuki felt like putting his fist through a wall. For some odd reason, he wished his relationship with Chichiri was more like his relationship with Tamahome. Whenever something came between them, he and Tama just fought until the tension was gone. He couldn't fight with Chichiri that way. He would be too worried he'd hurt the monk, despite the fact that part of him was sure Chichiri could hold his own in a fight. 

A sudden impulse struck Tasuki. With determination, he stood in front of Chichiri and grabbed the monk's mask. It came off, but he might as well not have bothered for the face underneath was as expressionless as the mask. As he stared, Chichiri raised his gaze to meet Tasuki's golden eyes with a neutral look. That's when the bandit got mad. 

What followed was a half an hour of Tasuki ranting, raving, and screaming. He called Chichiri every name he could think of, and insulted him in every way possible. The monk didn't let it phase him, simply got to his feet and watched with a kind of detached humor. After all, it wasn't everyday that you got to see a grown man throw a temper tantrum. 

"Are you done, no da?" Chichiri asked as Tasuki stood panting in front of him, having run out of things to say. Slowly, the fiery seishi nodded his head. Chichiri looked at Tasuki trying to find the courage to talk about what he'd been going through and why he'd been avoiding his friend. 

But he couldn't. Better to lose his only friend forever than to see the look of hate and disgust on Tasuki's face when he told the bandit that he had wanted to kiss him. After all, he was disgusted with himself for having such thoughts. Why should Tasuki react any differently? So instead he once again ignored the subject. "Tasuki-kun, please give me back my mask, no da." 

"No," Tasuki said, not quite beleiving that Chichiri was once again avoiding the subject. "Not until we @#$%&-ing talk." 

"There is nothing to talk about, no da," the monk stated. Then when Tasuki still refused to return the mask, "Fine then, no da. I'm going to sit here in silence until I get the mask back. Have fun, na no da." 

Having stated that he was going to, Chichiri returned to his meditative pose and began ignoring Tasuki. Never mind that he had been doing the same thing to a lesser degree for about three months, and to a greater degree for the past three days. For some reason when someone states that they are going to ignore you, and does, it is more annoying than if they just ignored you and never stated it. 

Tasuki was determined to win this battle of wills. And to give him credit, his will power lasted about as long as his patience. Which is to say, all of one minute. Then he began to pace around the room. At the end of that minute, he began alternating sequences of polishing the tessen and walking around the room. By the end of five minutes, Tasuki was climbing the walls. Literally. 

Finally, with a snarl of rage, Tasuki stalked over to where Chichiri was sitting cross legged. He held Chichiri's mask in his hand, and offered it to the monk. "Fine. Have it your way. Here's your @#$%!^& mask," he snapped. Chichiri looked up at the mask, then slowly got to his feet. With a slight nod he reached out to take the mask. 

Only to have Tasuki grab him. Chichiri stared down in shock at the fingers that dug painfully into his wrist. Then before he could react, the bandit used his larger built and slightly taller frame to force Chichiri back against the wall. Seconds later, Tasuki's warm lips descended to his own. 

There was nothing gentle about the kiss. It brutal and raw, and Tasuki meant it to hurt Chichiri as much as Chichiri was hurting him. At that moment Tasuki truly hated his fellow seishi for destroying their friendship, for assuming something without asking, and for not believing in him. But when he felt a convulsive sob run from the monk's slighter frame, it changed somehow. One second he was trying to hurt, the next he was trying to comfort. 

The pressure behind his lips went from bruising to coaxing, almost nuzzling they were so light. Instead of grabbing Chichiri's wrist, Tasuki put an arm to either side of him, still holding the monk captive but not as forcefully. He also shifted his weight back so he was no longer crowding or intimidating Chichiri. 

As it continued, Tasuki felt Chichiri tentatively relax against him, silently accepting the kiss. Well, not accepting, but no longer fighting. Tasuki relaxed a little though not quite knowing why. Something about the fact that Chichiri was not fighting this, was in fact tacitically accepting it, made it easier for Tasuki to accept the whole situtation. Hesitantly, Chichiri's hands drifted up to settle lightly at the bandit's waist. 

At that moment, Tasuki broke the kiss by pulling back a few inches. The two seishi stared at each other, neither one quite willing to admit to what had just happened. Tasuki came to his senses first, and took a shaky step back. He saw Chichiri's mask lying forgotten on the floor where the monk had dropped it. Carefully, he picked it up and handed it back. 

Chichiri took it with a hand that trembled. Tasuki met his troubled gaze with equal parts confusion, acceptance, and sadness. Then he lowered his golden eyes to stare at the floor. With an abrupt motion, the bandit turned to head outside, but not before he gave Chichiri these parting words. 

"At least now you have a reason for no longer being my friend."  Whew. This was written in two parts and it took me awhile to connect the two. Stuff is finally getting interesting between those two, ne? This will never degenerate into a full lemon (I'll leave that to someone else), but then again the original intent was not to write a lemon in the first place. It was to get Tasuki and Chichiri together in a plausible manner while keeping them in character. I hope I'm succeeding ^_^.   
  


**One of Those Days**  
By[ Tsaiko][1]   
_© 1998, Tsaiko_  


   [1]: mailto:tsaiko1@hotmail.com



	5. One of These Days

One of These Days by Tsaiko

One of Those Days 5: One of _These_ Days

First the disclaimer thing. The characters of Fushigi Yuugi are not mine. They belong to Watase Yuu, and various other companies. Story not written for profit.   


Originally there was another piece that went between One of Those Things and this one which would have made One of These Days 6th in the series. However, all of my fanfics got eaten by my computer in the spring of 2000. I tried re-writing the fifth section, but to no avail. Do not email me asking for it. It is lost forever. Instead enjoy the ending even if it is a little abrupt. Shounen-ai. 

This was _not_ Tasuki's day. 

Of course, it hadn't been Tasuki's day for quite sometime. First there was the Conversation, which had done nothing more than drive a wedge between him and Chichiri. Then there was the three months of Chichiri avoiding him while they traveled together. Silence may be golden, but not when it's coming from a friend. After that, there was the snowball fight. Snow, and cold, and Chichiri pining him to the ground with his hands and his eyes. Which was followed by three days of absolute silence. 

And let's not forget about the kiss. The kiss that he had forced upon Chichiri in a moment of anger and hurt, which had ended as something warm, comforting, and all too good. The kiss was part of a much larger chain of events which had resulted in him walking out on his best friend just when that friend had so desperately needed him to understand and stay. 

But he hadn't stopped being stupid there. Oh, no. Just being a little bit dumb wasn't good enough for the great Tasuki. He had to go and be the biggest @#$%-ing asshole the world had ever seen. So when Chichiri had arrived at the palace, he had done the most selfish, thoughtless, stupidest thing ever in his life. 

It was dumber than the time he'd gotten drunk in Sailo while in one of that-painted-freak-boy's clams. It was stupider than the time he had insulted Miaka's cooking in front of her. It even topped the times he had fallen in and out of love with Miaka when he knew that Tamahome was the only one she loved. 

For when Chichiri had arrived at the palace a few days after him, Tasuki had left. Without warning, without pretense, without thought. Making it abundantly clear to both Chichiri and the entire palace that he was avoiding the monk. 

It had taken Koji to make him realize just what he had done to the other seishi. To show him that getting so drunk that he forgot was not going to solve the problem, and was not going undo what had happened. There was only one course of action left. He was going to make things right if it killed him. 

_And it just might._ The red-haired seishi thought as his boots squelched into yet another piece of soggy, marshy ground. _Why can't monk-boy stay in one @#$%&^* place so I can find him?_

In a semi-rare moment of insight, Tasuki had realized that as Suzaku seishi he and Chichiri were connected. Which meant that if he focused, he could use his chi to find Chichiri's chi, and consequently find Chichiri. So technically, all he had to do was concentrate and walk. 

For Tasuki, it was a plan much simpler in thought than in deed. It seemed that the bandit had an extremely hard time concentrating his attention on the task at hand. Then when he finally managed to get it working and locate Chichiri's chi, he could only get a general direction, and that for about thirty seconds max. Which meant that he would spend an hour slogging through the mud, the bugs, the pollen, and all the other wonderful things that came with spring in Konen-koku. At which point, he would repeat the process all over again, usually to discover that he had somehow wandered off track. 

It hadn't helped that Chichiri had been walking for most of the morning, and a good part of the afternoon. It was only about thirty minutes ago that the monk had finally stopped so that he could actually make some headway on catching up with his fellow seishi. Tasuki had no idea what Chichiri was doing to make him stay in one place, but he was glad the monk was doing it. 

A branch laden with sickly sweet flowers was so low it almost caught him in the chin. Irritated by the strong smell, the bandit slapped it out of his way. Which got it out of his way for the three second it took the branch to swing out and snap back. The sturdy branch smacked him in the back of his head, and dumped it's load of pollen down his shirt. 

Tasuki hated this forest. Right now he hated spring. No wonder the season was Seiryuu's. The red-haired seishi pushed another set of newly green branches out of his way. He was muddy. He cooked during the day, and froze during the night. His boot found another puddle, and the water soaked through his boots. He got wet whenever a passing cloud thought of him as a target. A few stray sunbeams came through the forest, indicating that there was a clearing ahead. He was tired. He was hungry. The sound of running water, the kind found in a small stream came to him. He was thirsty. 

He was naked. 

No, not Tasuki. Chichiri. In a pool, formed in the lee of a few rocks. Tasuki stared at the unexpected sight, noticing how the monk's blue hair stuck damply to his back. _Musn't think those thoughts about Chichiri. Oh wait. I'm going to be honest with him. So I can think those thoughts. Crap, this is going to take some getting use to._

With careful, deliberate movements, Tasuki walked to the edge of the clearing. There he found a convenient tree to lean against. Absently, the bandit wondered how long it would take before Chichiri registered his presence. In the meantime, he was going to enjoy watching the muscles in the monk's shoulders and back move when the other seishi did. In a purely aesthetic way. Really. 

_I wonder when this happened? When did I start to feel this way about Chichiri?_ Tasuki wasn't much into introspection, but he indulged in it every once in a while. But never for long. _Does it matter? He's my friend. We've lost too much too fast to just let it go. Only thing to do now is go forward._

Unfortunately, it didn't take Chichiri long to realize he was being watched. The monk slowly turned around, and looked up in shock. Tasuki simply gave him a fanged grin. Instead of a back view from the waist up, he had a front view. Now only if the water were a little clearer... 

_When did I become such a hentai?_

"Tasuki-san." The bandit visibly flinched at the cold, impersonal honorific. "I am surprised to see you, no da. I thought you had made it clear that you didn't want to see me again, na no da." 

"Yah, well. You had been avoiding me, and I wanted ya to know how it feels. Didn't mean to let the whole palace know, heh heh." Tasuki quickly realized he was only making it worse, and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Hope nobody got the wrong idea or anything." 

"Of course not, no da. It was just the talk of the entire palace all winter long. Houki-sama had to explain to Boshin why you were not their for the winter celebration, na no da." Tasuki took a deep breath. He deserved that. The bandit knew that he had acted badly. But Tasuki had always followed his feelings, and his feelings had told him to hurt as he was being hurt. 

Now they were telling him to fix what he had broken. Or else. 

"I acted like an asshole. I've already been to the palace, explained that we were having a fight, and made my apologies to Houki-sama," Tasuki said. Houki hadn't bought the explanation one bit. If the bandit didn't know better, he would have sworn that the Empress had known exactly what was going on. 

Chichiri, meanwhile, gave him an even look. "A fight?" 

"What? Did you want me to announce to everyone that I tried to take advantage of you?" Tasuki said defensively. Chichiri merely shrugged. This conversation was not going as he had planned. Time to get back to the matter at hand. "I had all winter to think about what I did, and what happened. And Koji helped me realize something." 

"I just bet he did, no da." Chichiri had removed his mask to bathe, but his face revealed as much about what he was thinking as the mask. The temperature of his voice, however, had dropped a few more notches until it was below frigid. Tasuki blinked at the sudden change, then grinned. 

"Your jealous. You think me and Koji... You are @#$%-ing jealous," stated Tasuki. The realization proved too much for the bandit, and he sat down on the ground laughing. The wet mud soaked through his pants, but the bandit ignored it. The monk was jealous! Of him and Koji! 

"DA?!?!" Chichiri was staring at him like he had just lost his mind. Which only made Tasuki laugh harder. Finally, Chichiri's mood broke and the bandit could see the other seishi fighting a smile. "Tasuki-kun, you are impossible, no da." 

Finally, when his laughter had wound down to occasional snickers, Tasuki replied. "Yah, but that's why you love me." A stricken, panicked look crossed Chichiri's face but Tasuki pretended not to notice. "Because I think ya do love me, and it is not in a strictly friendly way. And I think you're scared and sick inside. Well, @#$%&* Chichiri so am I." 

Tasuki looked away from Chichiri when he said that, arms crossed defensively across his chest. "You're my friend, and my fellow seishi. I tried going back to Mt. Leiakaku, but I don't belong there anymore. I don't know where I belong. Except with ya. 

"So the @#$%&-ing question is, what are ya going to do about it? Because I know what I want to do. But this isn't about me. It's about ya." 

A few minutes passed, as a stray breeze rippled the water. It chilled the water on his skin, but not as much as the panic in his heart. Chichiri couldn't, move, couldn't speak, could barely think. All Tasuki did was watch him with clear, calm golden eyes. The silence grew so thick that it became impossibly loud. Finally, Tasuki realized he wasn't going to get an answer. 

"Hey Chichiri, I'm going to the inn up the road. I'm going to get a room there. When you've figured out what ya want to do about this whole thing, come find me. Just realize this, I'm not going to let you run away from this @#$%. If ya don't show up, I'm going to track you down and confront you again. And again. And again. And I don't have anywhere else to go. We can either make it work, or forget it ever happened. I don't care as long as ya let me me stay with ya." 

Tasuki stretched his muscles, suddenly feeling tense and vunerable. There was still only silence from the pool. He'd said too much, but at least he had said it. Then he turned and headed towards the inn. Only to get smacked right in the face by another sickly-sweet branch laden with pollen and flowers. 

_I hate spring. And Gods, I need a bath._

* * * * * 

Tasuki lay on a futon, stripped down to his pants, the blanket pulled up to his hips, thinking. Chichiri hadn't shown. The bandit had hoped the monk would, but wasn't really surprised that he hadn't. More surprising was the fact that he didn't feel any rejection or hurt. Instead a quiet sense of determination filled him. He had warned Chichiri that not showing up wasn't going to stop him. Now, he was going to prove it. 

_What else can I do? I've got no where else to go. Chichiri, I hope your the friend I think you are. Please be willing to let me stick with you even if you don't want anything but my friendship._

"Tasuki-kun?" The words almost made him jump out of his skin. He hadn't heard the door open, and Tasuki's hand was on his tessen before he placed the voice. It couldn't be. "Chichiri?" he asked. 

There was no verbal response. Instead, Tasuki felt the blanket being lifted right before a warm body slid against his. He stiffened in shock, as the shirt Chichiri wore to bed rubbed against the skin of his back. the red-haired seishi barely dared to breathe. He didn't want to assume anything at this stage. There the two lay, before the monk got up the courage to snake his arm around Tasuki's waist. 

"I've been thinking, Tasuki-kun. About what you said. I want to try to make this work. If you're okay with it, I can do it. But if you want to stop and go back to being friends, I can do that too. I think. I hope," his voice was calm and serious and just slightly nervous, the "no da's" having been dropped. 

"We can do this. I believe in ya," Tasuki said as twined his fingers with the ones laying across his chest. "I promise, we won't do anything ya don't want to. And if I do something ya don't like, ya have my permission to chi blast me." Tasuki felt a huff of breath against his back, and a slight easing of the stiffness ion Chichiri's lean frame. 

Again, Tasuki was content to just have Chichiri against him. But he had to push it. Because he could. "And one of these days you're going to be able to do stuff like this without turning bright red." Faster then Chichiri could react, Tasuki twisted in his arms and planted a sloppy kiss on the other seishi's lips. They were warm, and dry, and he recieved a small squeak in return. 

"Tasuki-kun!" Chichiri said in shock, as Tasuki returned to his former position. His face _was_ bright red. By the four gods, this was going to take getting use to. "Don't you think that's moving a little fast, no da?" 

"Probably. Whenever you're ready Chichiri, we'll do some more. Now go to sleep. Finding your @$$ wore me out." 

"All that thinking will do that to you, na no da." Tasuki chose to ignore that statement. He was too warm and content, and this change in their relationship was too new to be tested. 

In the darkness of a room in an inn somewhere, two friends slept together. In trust, and in harmony. With a promise to be fulfilled. 

One of these days... 

I would like to take this time to thank all of the fans of the _One of Those Days_ series. Thank you for your emails, your support, your suggestions, and your demands that I hurry up and _finish_ it already. I would like to thank those few who wrote me saying that they didn't like yaoi, but my story was so well written that they couldn't help but like it. A special thanks to all the wonderful people who stuck it out when my fanfics got eaten by my computer, or when I seemed to lose interest in this story. I didn't. And finally, a special thanks to all the people in the FY fandom. You are what makes the series truly special.   
  


**One of Those Days**  
By[ Tsaiko][1]   
_© 2000, Tsaiko_  


   [1]: mailto:tsaiko1@hotmail.com



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